Box Office: ‘Matilda’ Gains, Beatles Get Ticket to Ride

Laura Osnes and Santino Fontana as Cinderella and the Prince in "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella." The musical slipped by $111,000 to its lowest gross since the beginning of June. Photographer: Carol Rosegg/Sam Rudy Media Relations via Bloomberg

Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- “Matilda” advanced on “Wicked” in
the battle for girls on Broadway last week, as the acclaimed
British import set another house record.

“Annie” and “Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella” --
vying for the same audience (or at least their parents) -- each
slumped more than $100,000 to multi-month lows.

“Matilda” took in $1.33 million in the seven days ending
on Sunday. It was the musical’s best week since previews began
on March 4 at the Shubert Theatre, according to figures released
Monday by the Broadway League, a trade association of theater
owners, producers and general managers.

The revival of “Annie” at the Palace fell to $807,000 and
“Cinderella” at the Broadway dipped to $981,000. It was both
shows’ smallest take since the beginning of June.

Overall, Broadway sales declined 6 percent to $21.8
million.

“Let It Be” hit a new low, $317,000, and its producers
announced that the Beatles tribute will close on Sept. 1, four
months early.

Another vulnerable show, “Soul Doctor,” took in $201,000,
about a quarter of selling potential at the Circle in the Square
Theater. The show opened to mixed notices despite some acclaim
for the actors playing singing rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and jazz
singer Nina Simone.

‘First Date’

“First Date” was little changed at $424,000, less than
half of its potential.

“Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” lost ground when one of the
actors in the title role was injured mid-performance and the
show was canceled,. Its weekly take dropped to $1 million.

At the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, “Kinky Boots” did $1.65
million, besting its own record for the sixth time since winning
the best musical Tony Award. Its $143.64 average seat is the
highest among new shows on Broadway.

That’s even higher than the $134.80 average price people
are paying to see “Wicked,” the ongoing blockbuster at the
Gershwin Theatre. At $199, “The Book of Mormon” continued its
reign as Broadway’s most expensive average ticket.

Muse highlights include Jeffrey Burke on books and James S.
Russell on architecture.